New PCMCIA Card Dubbed “ExpressCard”

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In 2004, OEMs might have a new saying: “ExpressCard. Don’t go home without it.”

The PCMCIA trade organization on Tuesday will release version 1.0 of what was previously called “NewCard”, the modular PCI Express add-on card that will be featured in desktop and notebook PCs. Now, the technology will be called “ExpressCard”, the standards body said.

For many users, ExpressCard will be the first introduction into PCI Express, which in turn used to be called Next Generation I/O, NGIO, or 3GIO. However, ExpressCards will combine USB and PCI Express functionality, and will be used to replace front-loading USB cards, such as flash card readers, external hard drives, and even some wireless networking equipment. In notebooks, proponents say, ExpressCards will eventually supercede the popular PCMCIA or PC Card format.

“The new rules are pretty simple: every (external) slot must support PCI Express,” said Brad Saunders, an engineer with Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., and chairman of the PCMCIA. “A consumer doesn’t want to worry about the right functionality and the right interface. He wants and can be assured that it will just work in the system.”

A big part of “just working” will be the existing software support. Both Windows XP and Windows 2000 already support the NewCard specification, although Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition do not. “As you can imagine, that was a big part of (the spec),” Saunders said.

Two NewCards will be available: the “ExpressCard 34” and the “ExpressCard 54”. The smaller ExpressCard 34 card, measuring 34 mm wide by 75 mm long by 5 mm high, will typically be used inside notebooks. The larger ExpressCard 54 measures 54 mm wide by 75 mm long by 5 mm high and will be placed on the outside of the desktop PC chassis.

The organization will assume that users can safeguard their own notebooks. However, since NewCards will also be included as modular upgrade options for otherwise sealed PCs, the larger ExpressCard 54 will contain a notch. OEMs which choose to can insert their own locking mechanism into the notch and secure the card to prevent it from being stolen, Saunders said. While the smaller “34” cards will appear largely flush with the outside once inserted, the spec allows for the larger cards to contain extensions for wireless antennas and the like, he said.

OEMs will be permitted to add as many cards as they choose, although early designs will likely contain just one or two. The current generation of cards will be restricted to the slowest a single unidirectional lane of PCI Express, Saunders said.

Since the cards are sealed, heat may become an issue. The specification restricts the “ExpressCard 54” cards to 2.1 W, while the smaller “ExpressCard 34” form factor will be allowed to dissipate just 1.3 W.

The PCMCIA will hold compliance testing workshops beginning in the fourth quarter. Products should begin to be deployed during the second half of 2004, especially mobile versions of the ExpressCard, Saunders said.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the ExpressCard’s measurements; The ExpressCard 54 measures 54 mm wide, not 55 mm. In addition, the story misstated how PCI Express would be implemented in the cards.

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